She pushed past Remy and Linc as if they weren’t even there, but Cain looked formidable and sly with the way he turned his head slightly left, then right, tracking Mayhem’s moves as she closed in on him. He was the same height as Remy and Linc, with a similar build. But he was at home on the track, like Maisy. His eyes clocked every single move the teams made with an intensity that I didn’t see in any of the other guys. His complete focus was on the track, on the women he was coaching. And even from across the barn in the stands, I could see the determination on his face while he monitored every single move they made.
“Those two, Maisy and Cain. Just wait. They’re going to be beautiful together. They just don’t know it yet.” Patti waved a hand at the two people, who both dominated the track so completely that I had a hard time even giving anyone else attention.
One second, everyone was moving around the track, but the next a cacophony of shouts filled the room and a mess of bodies hit the track. Flailing arms, a leg, and I’m pretty sure I saw Remy’s skate hit Dom in the gut. Groans of pain, along with women’s laughter, filled the barn. We stared at the pile, a jumble of legs wrapped together and a massive knot that I didn’t think they could get out of without help.
Patti chortled. “Idiots.”
We got up, looking down at the mess to find that none of the women got caught up in it. “How’d they escape?” Out of everything else I’d seen, the most impressive was the fact that only the men were lying on the ground.
“They’re not idiots,” Patti explained simply. “Can’t say the same for Cain and those boys though. They’re gonna be bruised tomorrow. That’s what they get for trying to take out any of my Beautifully Brutal girls.”
“Beautifully Brutal?” I knew absolutely nothing about derby, but that name, combined with the scene in front of me, made me want to learn.
“Yep.” She smacked her lips together and nodded to the women. “Their derby team’s name. It’s like Maisy Mayhem, a player name.”
“I’m kind of turned on by it,” I admitted to her. “They’re all fucking awesome, and that name. Damn.”
I was even able to take my eyes off the hot mess that Remy and the others had made of themselves to see Maisy and the other women laughing and skating around, without helping them up.
“My balls.” Linc groaned loudly from somewhere at the bottom of the pile. “Why do I feel air on my balls?” He started to yell and the pile of bodies writhed even more. “Why is there air on my balls?” He sounded frantic, but there were too many people lying on top of him to make a move.
I was laughing so hard tears were coming out of the corners of my eyes, and I clutched my stomach from the pain of laughing.
“Fuck you and the air on your balls, Linc.” Cain rolled off the top of the pile and clambered to his feet. “I fucking told you to wear a cup, you dumbass.”
I cackled, unable to help it or stop myself. Their pain made me happy, and the fact that Linc might have lost his shorts made the whole thing better. That, and not a single one of the women got taken down in the collision.
“Hey, Linc,” Dom piped up from the other side of the pile. “Why in the absolute fuck do I feel your balls on my hand?”
Patti’s loud snort from my side caught my attention. “Because the boy skipped underwear and a cup, two of the most necessary things on that track.” I caught her leaning forward to get a glimpse of the chaos. “Not the brightest idea on his part. Dangly bits need to be under wraps. Especially against these women.”
“Oh, I’m dying.” Gasping for air, I answered while trying not to piss myself. I was laughing so much. “But that sounds exactly like Linc.” More grunts and yells from the track.
“Get your fucking balls off my hand, Linc!” Dom’s voice raised about two octaves. “Holy shit, man, I just felt them twitch. Get the fuck off me.”
I closed my eyes in an effort to catch my breath after laughing so hard. Too late, I remembered my phone.
I pulled it out and opened my eyes to see Remy standing there in front of me, blocking my view.
“Out of the way, Remington,” I snapped, phone in hand. “I have to record this for blackmail. Don’t you want to keep our free babysitter for Nox?” Honestly, though, Kennedy was the only person I trusted with Nox.
“We don’t need blackmail for that, Parker. And my name, for the last fucking time, is not Remington. It’s Jeremy, or Remy to you.”
He flipped over the rail, giving me another glimpse of his muscles in those shorts, and my mouth started to water.
“Keep it together, Parker.” He smiled at me, and I tried to shoo him away halfheartedly.
“Oh, they’re getting up.” Patti swatted Remy out of the way to get a better look. “Move, boy. These eyes aren’t what they used to be.”
He moved over, just in time for everyone to get an eyeful of Linc’s dick. He really hadn’t worn any underwear.
“Gross.” I groaned. “That’s like seeing my brother’s dick.”
“You were married to my twin brother,” Linc called out as he picked up his shorts, completely unashamed that an entire room full of people just saw his twig and berries. “You’ve literally seen it before.”
I flushed, drawing the attention of everyone for half a second, before Remy was there, blocking their view and my embarrassment. Then, with a smile on his face, the jerk kissed me, rubbing his sweaty body all over me.
I gagged, my throat convulsing as his disgusting body touched mine.
“You’re so gross, Remington.” I groaned in disgust while I tried to wipe it off with my sleeve. “Why would you do that?”
“Stop calling me Remington and I’ll stop doing annoying things. Nox keeps calling me Remington now, Parker, and I don’t like it. You know that.”
He tried, at least once a week, to get me to stop using the nickname, and all he accomplished was making me use it more frequently. So I just smiled at his latest tactic and silently promised to get my revenge. Besides, Nox and I made a game out of who could get away with using the wrong name more before Remy lost his patience.
Remy slipped, and I reached out to grab his arm before he fell on his ass and broke something. I missed by an inch and he hit his knee. Hard.
“I guess it’s a good thing you’ve got knee pads.” Snickering, I held out a hand to help him get up, but Remy didn’t take it.
Instead, he reached around into one of his skates and I rolled my eyes.
“What’s wrong? Did you hurt your feet in those crazy things?”
“No.” Remy shook his head and closed his eyes, something he did when I aggravated him. “I did not hurt myself, Parker. Although, if you keep calling me Remington, I might just have to.”
I shrugged. There wasn’t any use arguing it, because he’d tell me not to, and I’d keep doing it. “You love me.”
“That, I do.” He sounded strange, almost choked.
“What are you doing down there? Do your knees hurt? You’re old, after all.”
“Shut the fuck up, Parker,” Linc called out from the track. “You’re annoying.”
My answer was to flip him off without looking up.